" I estimate about 25-30K "

Did you tell them your "estimate"? I'd bet they didn't agree with it...

Nope, said nothing about money. They said they'd send an estimate. idk

You’re giving off low budget vibes. There’s a LOT more to this project than you are thinking about here. 25-30K for cabinet only would be about eight.

Dust control.

Demolition.

Debris disposal.

Rough electrical.

Rough plumbing, even if it’s just replacing shut offs.

Cabinet installation.

Counters.

Backsplash.

Floor repair.

Finish electrical.

Finish plumbing, including faucet, disposal, and sink.

Appliance installation.

punch list.

Site final clean.

Double your budget expectations for anything middle of the road. And it can still be quadruple plus that original guess if you want upper end choices.

How long has it been? It took us a week to get a proposal for a new HVAC (not ducts). Did you ask them how long it will take them to send you a proposal?

Otherwise, it may be they are not interested (we had other people who could not be bothered sending a proposal. Their loss, not ours).

This said, you also need a clear scope of work and realistic expectations. Depending what cabinets you want and the size of the kitchen and where you live, your budget may or may not realistic.

I would contact them after 10 days. They may or may not be interested in the job but either way you need to know. Good luck!

People who spend money in advance with a Kitchen Designer tend to have a big jump ahead in line in finding contractors. First of all, they have documented exactly what had to happen in both words and diagrams. That communication is priceless in narrowing down costs. Second, the KD has industry contacts that are used to working with them, and that gives the contractor the assurance that they aren’t wasting time with a tire kicker.

People who have vague and undocumented dreams, or unrealistic budgets, aren’t viewed very favorably by most contractors. Some contractors when confronted with that initially, would suggest partnering with a KD that they work with in order to do the necessary up front work. Some prefer to just disassociate themself and move on.

Find a good KD. Pay them a retainer. Then use their contractor recommendation. And really examine that budget. It’s not exactly realistic unless you 100% DIY IKEA, and don’t do about half the work that needs doing.

You are being told you are not ready to hire a contractor. And the contractor has no interest in doing your homework for you.

When did they come meet with you?

If you haven't priced cabinets and countertops and backsplash and appliances and flooring, then you aren't ready to even set a budget.

"Am I being told something?"

Yes.

I recently remodeled and had a designer do plans for the entire project with complete specificity as they were also used to submit to the City for permits. There were certain elements that were outside of the specific designs but those weren't part of the contract anyway - e.g. my cabinets were going to be built by a local cabinet shop but everything else was specific enough for the GC to provide exacts costs in the bid or allowances where applicable.

Even with that and my designer knowing the field enough to have credibility, three GC's came out but only one actually bid on the project. On by bid, I mean provided a "contract" that provided a firm cost for the project - taking into account of course allowances, elements I was providing outside the scope of the project and the always to be unexpected "surprises" :-).

It takes a lot of time and work for a GC (or any tradesperson) to provide a true "estimate/budget" for the job. For example, I am having my relatively small balcony tiled and the guys who did all my tile work, my GC and my designer were out on my balcony for about 30 minutes discussing exactly how it would be done etc. using the tile and pattern I wanted and assessing what needed to be done in terms of evaluating the balcony.

People give a lot of flack to using the services of a designer who works with a cabinet store but for most people it's the logical route because there aren't that many independent kitchen designers who are actually interested in a relatively small project such as your kitchen. Start by visiting some of the local cabinet kitchen/designer centers and speaking to the "designers" there. You will get a pretty good sense of who you would like to work with as well as getting a chance to see the various cabinet lines. In my experience, the kitchen/bath centers tend to cluster around certain price points so that the bottom line at one might be the top line at another. And you can also get a good sense of the skills of the designer.

Once you have selected your cabinets and are working with a designer, you can then call in the GC's to actually bid on your project. Chances are that they will have GC's that work with and who will then take you seriously.

I realize it's a chicken and egg type of situation in terms of what it will cost but you can certainly price out approximately what cabinets will cost and appliances if necessary. The kitchen place can also give you an estimate of what the various types of counters will cost and you can price out faucets, flooring or whatever. However, a good rule of thumb is that for an "average" kitchen in an average cost of living area using "average" finishes/cabinets, you will wind up spending between $20,000 to $35,000 unless you have significant DIY skills.

I had three contractors flake on me after coming out and taking measurements. It’s hard to find the right fit. My kitchen is not large, so while I spent what I consider a fortune it was half what they’d get from a larger kitchen, even though my materials were higher end. Additionally, I knew what I wanted and insisted on using my cabinet guy so the cabinets would match my dining room. When I found a contractor who was the right size he wanted to do the design and have me choose from his materials suggestions. Then another told me my project was too small (thank you for being honest!). Took a while to find someone at the right skill level, right size, and willingness to work together with me and let me choose products on my own (I didn’t mind if he bought it and marked it up for his time). It was frustrating but worth it to get the right person in the end.

Agreed with most previous comments. I got a bid from my contractor of about $25k. When I requested the bid, I had detailed drawings of the plan-view and the elevations of all cabinets, doorways, windows, sinks, and electrical fixtures. During our initial meeting, the contractor asked questions like "What finish do you want on the two doors? How flexible is the spacing between the two windows?" Tha $25k did not include the cabinets, which I sourced on my own (but of course costs vary widely depending on where you are). So the scope of work was clear. However, one unforeseen expense was leveling my very out-of-level floors to meet the specs of the flooring manufacturer. That added another grand or two.

I have done projects in the past without detailed plans, but I ended up hiring less experienced contractors who were willing to "wing it" a bit with change orders. And I ended up paying just as much (or more, plus MUCH more frustration) than if I had spent the up-front time on detailed plans and a higher level of service. Lesson learned, and passed along.

If you don't already have detailed plans, this forum is a great place for feedback on layout.